WANT OF APPETITE. 71 



exercise ; while such as have been daily exercised, and well 

 managed, are capable not only of great exertion and fatigue, 

 but are ready and willing to do our bidding at any season. 

 When an animal is overworked, it renders the system very 

 susceptible to whatever morbid influences may be present, 

 and imparts to the disease they may labor under an unusual 

 degree of severity. The exhaustion produced by want of 

 rest is equally dangerous ; such horses are always among the 

 first victims, and when attacked their treatment is embarrass- 

 ing and unsatisfactory. 



WANT OE APPETITE. 



This sometimes arises from over-exertion, or immoderate 

 work, which produces general debility, and of course the whole 

 functions are more or less disturbed, and take on the same 

 morbid action : at other times it is brought on by suffering 

 the horse to overload the stomach and bowels ; by standing 

 in the stable without exercise, and eating immoderately of* 

 hay. Want of appetite may depend on a natural delicacy of 

 the stomach, or on the bad quality of the food. 



Bad hay is often eaten with little or no appetite, especially 

 when it has been musty. When the appetite fails, though the 

 food is good, and the horse has only moderate work, the diet 

 should be changed ; a small quantity of straw, cut up with 

 what is called cut feed, would be serviceable j but if the horse 

 has been worked hard, rest probably is the only remedy neces- 

 sary. Young horses sometimes refuse the hay, or mangle it, 

 from soreness of the mouth, in consequence of changing their 

 teeth. This is sometimes attributed to lampas, and the knife 

 or firing iron is resorted to : this is a barbarous and cruel prac- 

 tice, and should never be permitted. When a young horse is 

 changing his teeth, the whole mouth becomes red and tender, 

 which makes him fearful of eating hay or unground corn, 



